An international conference hosted by the departments of Archaeology andArt History, English Literature and Humanities, and History at the EasternMediterranean University, Northern Cyprus

Famagusta, May 27 - 29, 2009

There are and have been many Mediterraneans! The Mediterranean isvariously seen as a specific geo-strategic space, generator ofintellectual and social theories, an economic hub, place of â€œoriginâ€,tourist destination and unstable backwater. However the region ischaracterized, it is a complex assemblage of identities, histories,beliefs, territories and languages. It is a space coveted by empires,revolutionaries, traders, politicians, intellectuals, indigenous peoplesand tourists alike. The Mediterranean may be seen as a space of desire,confirmed by the name itself; â€œMiddle-earthâ€ places the inhabitants of theMediterranean at the centre of the world, or, omphalos, less as monumentalegotism than self-conscious act of interpretation.

Eastern Mediterranean University invites participation in aninterdisciplinary conference on the narratives of this remarkable region.What is of express interest to this conference is the way in whichcivilisational shifts, fusions, faultlines and oscillations of theMediterranean world have given rise to extraordinary interpretations, life-world strategies and symbolic constructions. Such activity is manifestedin the remarkable literature and art, philosophies, religions,archaeological readings, political theories and economic practices of theregion. We seek thought-provoking papers exploring the symbolic/ideationaldynamics of changing perceptions in and of the Mediterranean world.